Rocky Harbour's blue whale moved into place for dissection

The blue whale in Rocky Harbour has been moved into position to be flensed.Photo courtesy of Jen Shears

The blue whale stranded in Rocky Harbour has been moved into a better position to be taken apart.

The whale had been on the rocks next to the town’s fish plant for the past several weeks.

Monday morning, the fishing vessel Nicole Daniel — the same boat that transported another blue whale carcass from Trout River to Woody Point to be dissected earlier this month — towed the massive animal to the slipway near the town’s wharf.

The whale will be taken apart, or flensed, by Memorial University staff with some assistance from personnel from the Royal Ontario Museum. The museum processed the Trout River whale across Bonne Bay at Woody Point, but did not have the budget to do the second whale beached at Rocky Harbour.

The Woody Point whale’s skeleton has been shipped to Ontario for further processing by the museum and eventual display there.

Memorial spokesman David Sorensen said in an email Monday that the university hopes to enter into an agreement with the museum “any day” to display the whale in this province.

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